Two Chinese spies were involved in aiding a former mayor of Arcadia, contributing to her rise in Southern California politics while receiving directions from Beijing.
Court documents reveal that Yaoning “Mike” Sun and John Chen played key roles in helping Irene Wang secure her position and were in covert communication with the Chinese government.
Chen acted as Wang’s campaign manager and business partner during her successful 2022 campaign for the Arcadia City Council.
After Wang won, Chen directed Sun to report back to the People’s Republic of China, referring to Wang as a “new political star.”
Additionally, Chen communicated to Chinese officials that Wang opposed Taiwan’s independence and planned to update China on local matters.
Chinese officials were pleased, responding with, “That’s great!”
Chen asked Sun to compile a list of politicians who were friendly with Wang, emphasizing that higher-status individuals would be beneficial.
He also made claims to the Chinese government about his ability to influence U.S. politicians against Taiwan’s independence, as noted in the documents.
In Arcadia, the mayor is elected through a rotational system by the Council.
In 2024, Chen received a 20-month prison sentence for being an unregistered agent and for bribing IRS officials.
While incarcerated, he allegedly told his cellmate that he was a spy and ranked his agency as “100 times better than the FBI,” according to court filings.
Sun, who was in a romantic relationship with Wang, faced indictment in 2024 on charges related to conspiracy and acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government.
Wang recently resigned as mayor and stated that she ended her relationship with Sun, clarifying, “We have ended our relationship, but we will maintain our friendship.”
Sun accepted a plea deal, resulting in a 40-month federal prison sentence in February.
Wang also pleaded guilty to charges of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government and could be looking at a potential 10-year sentence in federal prison.
